Latch.



R. E. MOSHER.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1907.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

imma um Witwen@ I l y, l

am KM GHG-1mm J RALPH E; or emnvn aims, meinem.

No. erases.

. Spicieatinn f Lett-ens Patent.

, Patented March 23,

Animation and )man s, i907. sagslm. schut.

To all. whom it may concern:

nel a lmgwn um 1, RALPH E. Mesem, a.

citizen of the United States of America, res

sid-ing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented.

certain new and useful Im rovementsin ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willl enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in latches. for doors, and more particularly to latches for the doo-rs of vehicles, such as'carriages, automobiles and the like, and its object is to rovide means for securely connect lng the oor and casing when the door is closed to prevent relative movement ofthe same by the vibration of a vehicle; to securely hold the latch from becoming unl fastened by such movement or vibration, and to provide the device with various new and useful features, hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

My device consists essentially of a latch having a spring actuated bolt, the end of the latch adjacent tothe strike plate being provided with, an o er1-ended tapering recess having opposite y disposed over ianging 4 tapering/(edges, and the strike plate composed of. a 'single piece of material including a )ody portion, a neck portion, and a head portion rnerginginto the neck, the neck merging into the bod f portion, said head portion being longer t ian said neck portion and having a recess intermediate its ends, with the opposit-e ends of the head and neck ortions tapering and the ends of the latter a so concave so that when the latch casing and strike plate are brought into copcrative relation, the recess of the casing will .present its slot into alinement with the recess .of the head portion of the strike plate with the overanging edges of the casing recess fitting 1n the concaved endsof said neck portion and binding tightly between the rear of the head portion and the .base of the strike plate, all as will more full Y appear by reference tothe accompanying (rawings in wl1ich1- Figure 1. is an elevation of the inner side of a latch embodying-my invention, shown in f place as it appears whenthe door is closed;

ig. 2. an` edge view of the door with the latch attached thereto; Fig. 3. an elevation of the latch detached from the door casing and Showing the, side op ite to that of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. the.- sarne the cover plate removed and the strike plate detached;Fig. 5.

anedge view of the device as showninFig. 3.;

and.' F1 ti. a longitudinal section en the line 6 6 o` Fig. 4. hatches; and I do hereby dec are the fo'llow- Referring now more particularly to the (accom any1. drawi s, the reference characterlpindidhgtes thelltch. casing; 2 the end of thecase which is embedded in the edge of the door, said end being inclined to the casin at a slightly obtuse angle and .provided wit 1 a transverse recess 3, which recess. is open.

ended and tapered horizontally, and which has oppositely disposed overhanging rounded tapering ed es 3 which latter also taper according to t taper of the recess 3.

The strike plate is preferablT composed of I a. single piece of material, inc ding a body portion 4, a neck ortion 4 and a head portion 5. The hea is longer than the neck portion of the strike plate and has its ends preferably rounded and merged into the neck portion 4 with the neck'portion 4 merging mto the body portion 4 to concave the ends 'of the neck to receive the rounded overhangfing edges 3 of the recess formed in the latch casing. The head 5 of the strike plate and the neck portion 4 are both tapered according-to the ta er of the recess and overhanging edges of t 1e latch casing, as will be understood.` Q

The strike plate is provided with a recess 15 to receive the end of the bolt 6, which end projects into the recess 8 of the latch and extends within the latch casing in the form of a.

broad flatfextension 7 havingl an irregular opening therein, in which opening, is a shoulder 8 engaged by a lug 9" on the tumbler 10, which latter has a flattened side 11 engaged by a splring 12, whereby the tumbler is yieldf ingly eld in place with the lug 9 engaged with the projection S when in position to withdraw-the bolt from engagement with thel strike plate. This tumbler is also held by the spring with the lug in position at right angles to the previous position, in which position its end abuts against the forward wall of the opening in the extension 7 and thus locks the bolt in engagement with the opening 15 in the strike plate.

.13 is a spring engaging the end of the bolt and yieldin ly forcing the latter into engagement with t e recess of the strike plate.'

When the door is closed, the narrow or smaller end of the head and neck portions of I guided to place and closely held by engage.

the strike plate firstA enter the larger end of the recess 3 and in this way the dooris readily ment of these tapered and interlocking parts Without liability of undue wear upon the parts incident to the rounded formations of` the interlocking parts, in direct contredistinction to the structures wherein sharp edge portions are brought into interlocking relation and incident to the tight Wedging action of the interlocking parts, such sha edges are caused to deteriorate owing to t e `frictional engagement of the parts as they are thrown into and out of co erative relation. .it isfor this reason that I crm the meeting edges of the interlocking parts without shar edges. The inclined arrangement of the en ofthe case and strike late also facilitates this drawing closel to et er ofthe door and cas-' "ing wherebyt e oor is securely held from any movement whatever relative to the casing when closed, and byturnng the tumbler with the lug 9 in osition shown by dotted lines on Fi' ai. the olt is securely locked and thus the dgoor can not move or become rerleased by the vibration ot the vehicle'. v

at l claim is:

The combination with a latch casing prociaevs l vided withan open ended tapering recess 'whose sides are rounded and which has o positely disposed overhanging tapering e ges,

of a strike plate composed of a single piece of material includin a .body portion, al neck portion and ahea portion merging into the neck, and the neck merging into the bod?T portion to provide the ends of the head wit i v rounded edges and to concave the ends ofthe.

and with t e overhanging rounded edges of the latter recess ittin in the concaved ends of said neck ortion an binding tightly therein l between t e rear of the head portion and the base of the strike late.

In testimony w ereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH E. MOSHER. 

